Submarine workshop.



W. H. BAKER.

SUBMARINE WORKSHOP.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 5, 1910.

1,008,301. Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

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W. H. BAKER.

SUBMARINE WORKSHOP.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 5, I910.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

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Inventor.

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WILLIAM H. BAKER, F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

SUBIVIARINE WORKSHOP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. BAKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, haveinvented an Improvement in Submarine Workshops, of which the followingis a specification. v

This invention has for its object to provide a structure which I term asubmarine workshop and which is especially adapted for use in submarineoperations at a great depth and where operations must be continued for aconsiderable length of time.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a structure of thischaracter by means of which operations may be continued for any lengthof time under high pressure and the operatives may be housed at thepoint of operations and may remain under the high pressure until theoperations are completed, thus avoiding the danger of caisson disease,so called, which is supposed to be caused by the operative changing fromthe high pressure at which submarine operations are necessarily carriedon to atmospheric pressure.

A further object of the invention is to so construct a submarineworkshop that escape of the operatives therefrom shall be provided forin case of emergency.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certainconstructions and in certain parts, improvements and combinations whichwill be hereinafter described and then specifically pointed out in theclaims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a vertical section, partly broken away, of my novelsubmarine workshop on the line 1] in Fig. 2, looking in the direction ofthe arrows; and Fig. 2 is a transverse section, partly broken away, onthe line 22 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The body of the structure is cylindrical in form and comprises an outerwall 5, an inner wall 6 and radial partitions 7 between said walls bywhich the space is divided into living rooms 8.

9 denotes the bottom which is provided with an opening having gates 12,and 10 the working floor which is provided with an opening having gates13. Between the bottom and floor 10 is a compartment 11 Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed December 5, 1910.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

Serial No. 595,749.

which is adapted to receive water or other ballast. l

The roof of the body is indicated by 14 and between this roof and floor10 is a floor 20, thus providing two stories or tiers of living andworking rooms in the body.

Inner wall 6 extends above roof 14: forming a tower which is indicatedby 6. The upper end of the tower comprises an observatory 15 which isprovided with windows 16 having protective gratings 17. The tower isprovided with floors 21 and 22, thus providing additional working andliving rooms, indicated by 55. It will of course be understood that asmany floors or stories in both the body and tower as may be required forthe comfort of the operatives and for carrying on any special kind ofwork are within the scope of the invention.

23 denotes vertical pillars or supports which extend from the bottom 9to the roof 18 of the tower.

24: denotes stairs and 25 ladders which are provided between the floors,as may be required.

The inner wall 6 is provided with doors 56 giving access to the severalrooms on each floor of the body.

26 denotes tubes (one only being shown) which extend through the bottomand through floors 10 and 20, and 27 cables in said tubes to which heavyweights or anchors 28 are attached. These cables lead over suitableguide pulleys to windlasses 29.

30 denotes motors, usually internal combustion engines, which arelocated on floor 10 and are supplied with liquid fuel by means of pipes31 1eading from tanks 32 which are located outside of the structure andare secured to outer wall 5 by suitable brackets. A plurality of motorsis provided in order that repairs may be made upon one motor whileanother is in operation. Suitable machinery is provided for the workrequired and is located on workingfioor 10.

33 denotes an air pump by which air is drawn into the structure throughan air supply pipe 34, the upper end of which is carried by a raft 35.

36 denotes an oil pipe by which oil may be forced upward and distributedupon the water above the raft in case of high waves.

The roof 14 of the body is provided with escape openings 37 havingclosures 39. Sun

rounding these openings on the under side are collars l1 secured to theroof. Above openings 37 are tloatable escape chambers 43 which areconstructed to withstand great pressure and are provided withcorresponding openings having closures ist. The lower end of eachchamber consists of a ballast collar which is made extremely heavy andserves to ballast the chamber and hold it in the upright position whenreleased. These chambers are normally secured to the roof of the body inany suitable manner as by bolts l6 which. pass through the roof andthrough collars L5 and 41. Each escape chamber is provided with a doorL7 and carries a pump 48 by which when the chamber rises to the surface,air may be drawn in to supply the occupants and the pressure in thechamber may be regulated.

4-9 denotes the main floatable escape chamher which normally rests uponcradle members 19 secured to the roof 18 of the tower. The roof 18 ofthe tower is provided with an escape opening 38 over which. chamber 49is placed, said opening being provided with a closure 40 and on itsunder side with a collar 1-2. The escape chamber is provided with acorresponding opening having a closure 50. The lower end of the chamberis provided with a heavy collar 51 which serves to ballast the chamberand hold it in an upright position when released, the same as chambersas. Chamber 49 is normally secured to the roof of the tower by bolts 52which.

pass through the roof and through collars the same as chambers 13.

The operation of my novel submarine workshop is as follows: Thestructure is supplied with food, tools and material for use in submarinework, operatives are taken 5 aboard and lodged in the various compartments and then the structure is towed to the position at whichoperations are to be undertaken. Cables 27 are then paid out until theanchors 28 rest upon the bottom. Then .50 water is admitted tocompartment 11 which partly overcomes the flotation of the structure sothat it may be drawn downward by winding the cables on the windlassesuntil the structure rests on the bottom or until the 55 doors 12 in thebottom are properly located with reference to a wreck, submarinefoundation or other structure upon which it is desired to operate. lVhenthe structure is located or when the pressure of the water renders itnecessary or desirable, a motor is started to operate the pump and airis drawn down through pipe 3-1 until the air pressure within thestructure is equal to or greater than. the pressure of the water. Whenthe air pressure within the structure exceeds the pressure of the water,doors 12 and 13 may be opened and operations carried on through theopenings in floor 10 and the bottom or by divers who leave the structureand return through these openings. Operations may be carried oncontinuously by shifts of workmen, those off: duty being furnished witheating and sleeping accommodations in the various rooms without materialvariation in the air pressure, thus preventing the variations in airpressure which are unavoidable when workmen are returned to the surfaceafter completing their shift of work, and doing away with the principalcause of caisson disease.

If during the operations it becomes necessary or desirable for one ormore of the workmen to leave the structure, he or they enter an escapechamber 5L3 or 49, secure the closure and loosen the retaining bolts,which releases the chamber and permits it to rise to the surface whereit floats in an upright position owing to the ballast collar. As the airpressure within the chamber is approximately that of the main structure,it is reduced gradually to or below twenty pounds at which pressure theoccupants may safely leave it.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A submarine structure of the character described provided with abottom wall, a working floor of equal area with said bottom wall, thespace between said bottom wall and floor forming a ballast compartment,a living room above said floor, means for sup plying air to said livingroom, and centrally located gates in said bottom wall and floor, wherebywhen the pressure within the structure is equal to or greater than thewater pressure operations may be carried on through said gates.

2. A structure of the character described comprising a bottom and aworking floor,

between said bottom and floor a ballast compartment, above said floor aliving room, gates in said bottom and floor, for the purpose set forth,a tube extending upward tl'irough'said bottom and floor, a windlass,acable from the windlass passing through the tube and an anchor attachedto the cable, whereby when the ballast compartment is filled thestructure may be drawn down ward. I

3. The combination with a structure comprising a bottom and a workingfloor, between said bottom and floor a ballast compartment, gates insaid bottom and floor and above said floor a living room, of a pumpwithin the structure, an air pipe leading thereto, a raft by which theother end of the air pipe is supported and an oil pipe extending fromthe structure to the raft.

t. A submarine structure of the character described provided with a roomhaving an escape opening, a closure therefor, in com bination with anescape chamber having an extension coinciding with the said escapeopening, a closure for the inner end of said extension, and meansoperable within the escape chamber and extending through the wall ofsaid extension for detachably securing the latter to said structure.

5. The combination with a structure adapted to be lowered in the waterand having a living room and an escape opening provided with a closure,of an escape chamber having a corresponding opening and a closuretherefor, a ballast collar, for the purpose set forth, and boltsextending through said collar and engaging the structure, whereby thechamber is detachably secured to the structure.

6. The combination with a structure adapted to be lowered in the Waterand having a living room and an escape opening provided with a closure,of an escape chamber having a corresponding opening and a closuretherefor, means for detachably securing said chamber to the structureand an air pump within the chamber.

7. A structure of the character described comprising a cylindrical bodyhaving a ballast compartment at the bottom, gates for said compartment,means for supplying air to the structure and a central tower extendingabove the body.

. 8. A structure of the character described comprising a cylindricalbody having a bottom and a working floor, both provided with gates, aplurality of living rooms in stories above the working floor andvertical pillars extending from the bottom and through all the floors tothe roof.

9. A structure of the character described motor in one of said rooms, aliquid fuel reservoir exterior to the structure and a supply pipe fromthe reservoir to the motor.

10. A structure of the character described comprising a lower ballastcompartment, an intermediate living compartment, and an u per escapechamber in combination with means operable from within said escapechamber for detachably connecting the latter to one wall of said livingcompartment.

11. A structure of the character described comprising a lower ballastcompartment, an intermediate living compartment provided with a roofhaving an escape opening, and an upper escape chamber over said escapeopening, in combination with means operable from within said escapechamber for detachably connecting the latter to said roof.

12. A structure of the character described comprising inner and outercylindrical walls, said inner wall being extended above the body of thestructure to form a tower, a ballast compartment at the bottom of thestructure and means for supplying air to the structure.

13. A structure of the character described comprising inner and outercylindrical walls, said inner wall being extended above the body of thestructure to form a tower, floors in both the body and the tower, aballast compartment at the bottom having upper and lower openings, gatesfor closing said openings and means for causing any required airpressure within the structure.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein'presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. BAKER.

Witnesses:

WALTER E. GURRIER, FRANK L. GIBBY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

